The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center, is seeking a research professional specialized in irrigation & hydrology to join its office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as a Research Specialist – Water Resources Management.

The Research Specialist position is part of IWMI’s regional research portfolio, contributing to interdisciplinary work on water resources management, irrigation hydrology, and climate resilience across Central Asia. The role operates within a collaborative; multi-disciplinary team environment focused on delivering applied research and operational solutions to address complex water and climate challenges.

The Research Specialist is responsible for planning, designing, overseeing, and monitoring research activities, including protocol development, data collection, analysis, and interpretation to achieve research goals and objectives water resource management. The position provides technical inputs on generating and translating hydrological, irrigation, and hydro-climatic evidence into actionable knowledge. The role engages with stakeholders, assigns and mentors support staff, organizes capacity development sessions, and produces knowledge products to enhance collaboration, outreach, and stakeholder expertise. The Research Specialist ensures timely recording and analysis of data, maintains optimal data pipelines, and develops comprehensive reports and  provides inputs to publications to disseminate findings and support evidence-based decision-making.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Main Purpose of Job:

• Plan, design, implement, oversee, and monitor research activities, including basin diagnostics, irrigation reliability analysis, water productivity monitoring, climate-risk assessment, and drought-resilience planning, based on a defined research plan in irrigation and hydrology workstreams to accomplish defined project objectives.
• Organize and synthesize hydrological, irrigation, and water-energy data into cooperation-relevant indicators to inform transboundary water planning and regional decision-making.
• Select, develop and organize research tools, methodologies, indicator matrices, technical and operational guidelines and based on project requirements to ensure effective and accurate implementation of improved monitoring and analytical tools into irrigation and basin management procedures.  
• Provide technical inputs into the identification, screening, and prioritization of climate-resilient irrigation and water resources investments to ensure technical feasibility, assess climate-resilience value, evaluate operational readiness, and identify follow-on preparation needs.
• Provide technical input into the design of surface-water and groundwater assessments, including aspects of aquifer use, recharge risk, water-use efficiency, irrigation security, and drought-buffering functions, to regional cooperation processes.
• Prepare baseline matrices of existing irrigation, water management, and climate information tools used by partner agencies, and identify practical upgrade pathways to enhance their operational use and effectiveness.

Main engagement, collaboration and communication responsibilities:

• Engage with colleagues from other teams, external agencies and authorities to exchange conceptual ideas and effectively gather feedback and research-related requirements for the research's advancement or to align the execution of research.
• Align and synchronize project activities with stakeholders, including technical subcontractors and partners to ensure consistency and mutual reinforcement of efforts.
• Develop training materials, organize tailored capacity development and experiential / active learning sessions to build expertise in area of work.
• Collaborate with relevant internal and external stakeholders to design and produce knowledge products, informational resources, and communication materials to amplify the impact and outreach of project and organizational work.
• Ensure timely delivery of assigned outputs within agreed scope and budget, and in formats that meet requirements for donor review, government consultation, and external dissemination.
• Identify and communicate key information to policymakers and non-scientific audiences to promote knowledge transfer and evidence-based decision-making on irrigation, hydrology and climate risk issues.

Main responsibilities in the delivery of timely and quality services:

• Prepare, compile and submit high-quality technical inputs, updates and reports of research outputs in a timely manner.
• Lead the synthesis and analysis of data to support the development of publications and presentations.
• Develop reports, and presentations, including summarizing research findings, preparing manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, and creating posters and papers for dissemination. Ok
• Deliver bilingual outputs in English and Russian by reviewing technical terminology, ensuring consistency of hydrology and irrigation concepts, and preparing presentations and communication materials to maintain accuracy and clarity for diverse audiences.

Requirements

Education, Certifications & Training:

• Master’s Degree in hydrology, irrigation engineering, water resources engineering, agricultural water management, hydro informatics, or a closely related area; or Bachelor's degree in aforementioned fields with extensive relevant experience.

Experience:

• Experience in planning, implementing and overseeing research tasks.
• Experience in collaborating with partners on the implementation of research activities.
• Experience in irrigation, hydrology, water resources planning, basin management, climate-risk assessment and water productivity monitoring.
• Experience with water irrigation demand assessment, crop-water requirements, water accounting, seasonal allocation, canal and basin operation, drought-risk analysis, or climate-resilient irrigation planning.
• Experience working in or with an international not-for-profit organization is an advantage.

Language Proficiency:

• Fluency in English and Russian is essential to communicate in writing and speaking.
• Working knowledge of a second language spoken in the region is an asset.

Functional and Technical competencies:

• Analytical, Critical and Systems Thinking: Analyzes information from multiple sources to identify trends, draw conclusions, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Scientific Ethics and Integrity: Adheres to ethical guidelines in data collection, analysis, and reporting, discloses potential conflicts of interest, and ensures compliance with open data principles to ensure transparency and accessibility.
• Data Analysis, Management and Visualization: Verifies data accuracy and consistency, addresses simple errors, summarizes and organizes data, and interprets basic trends using available systems and evolving data methodologies to support decisions or activities.
• Planning and Organizing: Plans and manages multiple priorities and deadlines independently, using time management tools to stay on track, and effectively balances competing tasks while adjusting as needed.
• Problem Solving: Analyzes information to identify root causes, collaborates with colleagues to gather information, and prioritizes critical factors to propose effective solutions.
• Water Systems Knowledge: Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of Central Asian water management systems, including irrigated agriculture, transboundary river basins, basin organizations, hydrometeorological services, and water-energy interactions in river basins.
• Hydrological Modeling: Interprets and applies hydrological and water resources models, including WEAP or comparable basin models, and leverages familiarity with complementary tools such as LEAP-NEMO, remote sensing, GIS, water productivity monitoring, and early warning systems to enhance analysis and decision-making.
• Technical Communication: Translates complex technical analysis into concise policy messages, practical operational recommendations, donor reports, concept notes, and investment-screening products for diverse stakeholders.

Benefits

This is a nationally recruited position and only Uzbek nationals will be considered. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of one year, with the possibility of extension.

HOW TO APPLY: Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. We will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on July 27, 2026 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Your application must include a CV, cover letter, portfolio links and three (3) references, which may be contacted if you are shortlisted. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.